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City, Port Authority seeking development at Staten Island's Teleport

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Eighty of the 100 acres at the Teleport are available to develop, with half being vacant land available for ground-up development, and the balance comprising about 700,000 square feet of tenanted office space, says the New York Economic Development Corporation. The Port Authority is real estate manager of the property.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A large, vacant parcel in the massive 100-acre Teleport site along South Avenue is one step closer to becoming a developed property within the Staten Island Corporate Park.

On Thursday, the New York Economic Development Corporation and the Port Authority issued a Request for Expressions of Interest for development of the industrial park based in Bloomfield.

Eighty of the 100 acres are available to develop, with half being vacant land available for ground-up development, and the balance comprising approximately 700,000 square feet of tenanted office space, says the EDC. The offices are housed in five commercial buildings on city-owned property. The remaining 20 acres are land not eligible for development, including pathways. The Port Authority is the real estate manager for the site.

EDC Executive Director Kyle Kimball said the Teleport property possesses great potential, and any additional development on the site will benefit the borough.

"We look forward to seeing the creative solutions that the development community comes up with to enhance quality of life and lead to future economy growth in the area," said Kimball.

"The Port Authority believes there is a significant development opportunity at The Teleport that can be unlocked with private-sector ideas and capital," said Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye. "Exploring options to turn over our lease to the private sector is consistent with our agency's efforts to focus on our core transportation mission, while helping to spur growth on Staten Island and create jobs for the region."

RFEI responses are due by Oct. 10.

Hilton Garden Inn owner and Staten Island Corporate Park developer Richard Nicotra, who owns both Corporate Commons buildings on the Teleport grounds, was in agreement with Kimball and Foye, adding it's important that things be "done right."

"It has to look good. We cannot have a hodgepodge of a development," he said, adding the Nicotra Group has worked hard for 20 years to make that section of South Avenue the most beautiful street on the Island.

Nicotra also added he's interested in the site; however, he wouldn't disclose what he has in mind for the location.

"We're going to look at all possibilities. It's early -- it just came out today, so we'll look at it and we'll respond," said the hotelier, who purchased the two buildings on the Teleport site for $25 million in December 2008.

Less than two years after Nicotra bought a part of the property, a New York City agency, the Department of Information Technology and Technology (DoITT), chose a New Jersey location over the Bloomfield site for its offices. Nicotra said that was disappointing, but is optimistic now that the RFEI process is under way.

Borough President James P. Molinaro said he's looking forward to growth at the under-utilized location.

City Councilman James Oddo (R-Mid-Island/Brooklyn) said the Teleport offers a wide array of possibilities. He called the surrounding area a rural oasis, with major highways to New Jersey and Manhattan only found a stone's throw away.

Oddo said the issue is creating jobs -- good jobs.

"It's a really interesting property," he said. "With the overall economy trending up, I think there will be a good amount of interest in it. I'm anxious to see who responds."